Indigenous Land and Colonial Origins
William Nicoll
Founder of Islip Grange
William Nicoll made the first purchase of land that became Islip Grange on November 29, 1683. Annotations to the 1798 Conklin letter describe this as the "first deeded land" and the birth of what Nicoll named "Islip Grange," covering land associated with today's East Islip, Great River, Islip Terrace, and surrounding areas. The Royal Governor confirmed the purchase with a royal patent on December 5, 1684.
The founder himself apparently held no Islip town office; annotations to the town's first minute book suggest his influence worked instead through his provincial offices, including Speaker of the General Assembly. The family name, though, runs through the minute book for generations: a William Nicoll served as precinct supervisor for most years from 1747 to 1775, and another held the office again in the 1790s.
Why they matter
Nicoll is central to the colonial origin of Islip Grange and to the legal land story that eventually developed into the Town of Islip.
Connection to today
His story helps explain the Town Seal, local place names, early landholding patterns, and why Islip's founding is more complicated than a single date.
Sources
- Nathaniel Conklin, "Description of the Town of Islip in Suffolk County," 1798 (annotated, Town of Islip Historian's Office).
- George J. Munkenbeck, "The Origins of the Town of Islip."
- Islip town minutes and annotations, in Carl A. Starace, ed., Book One of the Minutes of Town Meetings and Register of Animal Ear Marks of the Town of Islip, 1720–1861 (Town of Islip, 1982).